One system for accomplishing the confinement of an animal is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,178 entitled ELECTRODE DEVICE FOR AN ELECTRIC SHOCK GENERATOR CARRIED ON AN ANIMAL (the '178 patent), issued to McDade et al. The '178 patent and other similar conventional systems mount a receiver on a collar of an animal. The collar delivers a shock to the animal wearing the collar when the animal is in relatively close proximity to a perimeter antenna wire. This conventional system incorporates an electronic shock circuit that is energized by a large and heavy transformer. This transformer is necessary to produce a shock sufficient to deter the animal from crossing a predetermined boundary. This approach, however, greatly increases the size and weight of the receiver encasement unit.
Another conventional confinement system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,241,923 entitled TRANSPONDER CONTROL OF ANIMAL WHEREABOUTS (the '923 patent), issued to Janning. The '923 patent describes a confinement system that utilizes stationary and/or mobile transponders. The transponders are placed to determine the outer containment area of an animal or human. As with the aforementioned prior art, a receiver is mounted on a collar worn by the animal. The collar delivers a shock to an animal wearing the collar when the animal is in relatively close proximity of the transponders. This system also incorporates an electronic shock circuit powered by a large transformer inside the animal's receiver encasement. As such, this system has drawbacks similar to those discussed above.
Yet another system for the confinement of an animal is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,120 entitled ANIMAL TRAINING AND RESTRAINING SYSTEM (the '120 patent), issued to Brose. This system utilizes a centralized transmitter that broadcasts a predetermined radio signal. Unlike the other prior art, the animal must stay in the broadcast containment field. When the animal's receiver detects that the containment field is weakening, as the animal's distance from the transmitter increases, the animal's receiver administers a deterrent to the animal. This system also incorporates an electronic shock circuit powered by a large transformer inside the animal's receiver encasement. As with the other systems, this greatly increases the size and weight of the receiver encasement unit.
Bearing in mind the problems and deficiencies of the prior art, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an electronic containment system in which the deterrent circuit eliminates the large shock generating transformer by replacing it with one or more charged capacitors in an animals receiver. The novel switched capacitor shock circuit not only greatly reduces the size and weight of the receiver unit, that is carried or worn by the animal or human, but it also reduces the manufacturing cost.